Medical devices, such as medical implants, are typically used in a sterile surgical environment. It is thus desirable to deliver medical devices to a surgical site in a sealed package so that sterility is not compromised. To this end, a number of medical device packages and packaging techniques have been developed over the years. Improvements to conventional packages and packaging techniques are still desirable.
A medical device should be packaged so that the integrity of the package is not compromised during delivery to the surgical site. The integrity of the package may be compromised if the medical device punctures the package. Some conventional packages do not fully stabilize the medical device inside the package, thereby increasing the risk of compromising the integrity of the package. It is therefore desirable to develop a package that stabilizes the medical device to prevent, or at least minimize, movement of the medical device inside the package.
It is also desirable to facilitate loading a medical device in a package in order to expedite the packaging process and reduce the risk of compromising the integrity of the package while the medical device is loaded. Some conventional packages require that the medical device be inserted into a relatively small cavity, increasing the risk that the medical device may puncture the package. To avoid puncture the package, the medical device is usually inserted slowly into the small cavity, thereby slowing the packaging process. Hence, it is desirable to develop packages that allow simple insertion of a medical device into the package.
To avoid reselling non-sterile medical devices, many medical device manufacturers do not allow a customer to return a purchased medical device if the packages has been opened. Physicians, however, sometimes need to open a conventional package in order to determine if the medical device is the appropriate size for the patient. These conventional packages do not allow the physician to see the medical device while the package is closed. It is thus desirable to develop a packaging assembly that allows a physician to see the packaged medical device in order to determine whether the packaged medical device is appropriate for the intended medical procedure.